Audible Alternatives

Last month I talked about how Audible is awesome. And I really think it is! But I also understand that not everyone is willing to part with $14.99 a month for a subscription. That's why I've checked out a few alternatives that you may be interested in.

1. Old School Audiobooks - Our library still offers books on CD, and I think most of them do. It's not the most convenient option, because you can't listen on your phone. But if you have a CD player in your car, it might work for you! Titles are going to be pretty limited, so you may be more interested in option number 2...
2. OverDrive -This might be my favorite option. Like checking out those old school audiobooks, it is FREE! Most libraries nowadays are part of virtual library networks. Ours is part of the OK Virtual Library network, which is powered by OverDrive! Long story short, I can borrow audiobooks through the library and listen to them with the OverDrive app on my iPhone. I've been wanting to listen to the Harry Potter series but they aren't available on Audible, so I was going to have to buy the physical CDs through Amazon. Except they are all available on OverDrive! There is a wait, but I just put my name down and I'm alerted when it is available. Then I download the book within the OverDrive app on my phone and I'm all set.
3. Amazon Whisper Sync - I just heard about this recently. Modern Mrs Darcy has a very detailed post on it, so if you want all the details, head there. But basically you can buy Audible editions of books you already own for your Kindle for a lower price, and Amazon keeps track of where you are at in both. So you can read a book on your Kindle, then switch to Audible, and then back again effortlessly. And in some cases you can save a lot! For example, I bought Come Clean for $2 for my Kindle, and I added the Audible edition for only $1.99. So for $4 I own the e-book and the audiobook! The list price of the Audiobook itself is $20.99, so obviously this is a pretty awesome deal.

Do you have any other Audible alternatives you use? I really can't say enough about the OverDrive app. Getting to listen to Harry Potter for free has made my week! 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Audible is Awesome *sung to the tune of Everything is Awesome*

*Not a sponsored post. I'm just obsessed with Audible.*

You’ve heard of Audible by now, right? Most of you are probably nodding, but for the one person out there who hasn’t, let me explain.  Audible is a company that produces and sells “spoken word entertainment”. Meaning, it’s the place to go for cheap audiobooks!

How cheap? Well, that depends. The best way to go is to subscribe to Audible. Currently I pay $14.95 a month, which gives me one free credit to use on any audiobook I want, plus a 30% discount on any other audiobook and access to their member-only sales. Most audiobooks that aren’t on sale will cost more than $14.95, so basically you are paying for one book a month plus all the benefits of the membership.

Why is Audible awesome?

• They offer tons of books. From the classics to the new releases, I promise you will find something you like.
• They constantly offer deals and discounts. As a member you get 30% off any title, but there are also Daily Deals plus regular sales like their recent First in a Series sale. You could pretty much avoid paying full price for an audiobook forever!
• You can listen to the book at different speeds. I only recently discovered this feature, and I love it. Some books move too slowly for me, so I like to kick things up a notch :)
• You can check out reviews of the author & the narrator. The narrator is super important, because they can make or break a book. Always listen to a preview to make sure you can stand the narrator’s voice. But if you happen to buy one that you end up hating…
• You can return a book if you don’t like it! No questions asked. I did this with two that I bought early on in my Audible experience and it was super easy.

If that sounds like something you are interested in, then you should try out the 30 day trial Audible is offering right now. Because you don’t just get 30 days for free, you also get 2 free audiobooks! I’ve been a fan of Audible for almost a year now, and I’m still loving it. In fact, I barely listen to the radio anymore. As soon as I get in my car, I start Audible so I can jump back into the story. I'm currently listening to The Fiery Cross, but I have about 5 or 6 in my queue. I also have a couple of credits I should use! (Pro tip: when spending your credits, choose wisely. I usually buy an Outlander book with mine, because those books can cost up to $60!)

My favorite audiobook to date has been Yes Please! by Amy Poehler, but I also really enjoyed Unbroken. Amy Poehler narrated her own book (with help from some other celebs) and Edward Herrman narrated unbroken so it was like listening to Rory's grandfather read me a story.

Are you an audiobook listener? Why or why not? And if you are, any amazing recommendations I should know about?

As I said, not a sponsored post. It does include affiliate links, so if you are interested then click on through to support Mrs Robbins Sparkles. Because Squarespace does not accept glitter for payment.
 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Don't Even Blink - My Favorite Doctor Who Episode

Psst - if you are reading this in Bloglovin or another feed reader, click through and check out the new look! 

Blink is one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes ever. It's the tenth episode of the third series of the show (David Tennant's second season) and I love it. 

For one, the star of this episode isn’t the Doctor. It’s Sally Sparrow, played by Carey Mulligan. The entire episode revolves around her. This makes Blink one of the few entirely stand-alone episodes. It has a Twilight Zone kind of feel (I mean that in the best way possible, I love the Twilight Zone) in that you could watch this one episode and know everything that you need to for the story line. You don’t need the full history of the Dalecks or Cybermen, you don’t need to know who Jack Harkness or Harriet Jones is. It actually doesn’t even matter who the companion is (it’s Martha, but who cares?) because the Doctor is a pretty minor element of this story.

Ok, this episode does set up a lot for future episodes (for Whovians, did you just tear up thinking of Angels Take Manhattan? Because I did) but that doesn’t matter for the story line. All you need to do to appreciate the gloriousness of Blink is to watch it. 

This episode is so good that it is one of the episodes recommended by Sarah Bessey in the Beginner's Guide to Doctor Who who just can’t sit through the cheesiness of the Ninth Doctor (who I’ve already defended). Really, if you have never seen an episode of Doctor Who and just want to spend an hour seeing what it is about, watch Blink. The first time I saw it, I was on the edge of my seat. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it now (I may have watched it three times in the past week…) but I appreciate it more every time. To me, the Weeping Angels are one of the creepiest Whoverse baddies there are (the Vashta Nerada and the Silence are up there too).

In fact, I refuse to ever own a statue now. Back when my husband and I were dating, we went to a home and garden show and I might have freaked out in the statuary section. I kind of hate that I even put an image of a Weeping Angel in this post (that which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel itself, right?)

I’ll be back soon with more Doctor Who updates. If you’ve seen this episode, did you love it as much as I did? Or am I just a little too cuckoo for this storyline?   

While you're here, check out some of my recent posts!